In certain climates, it is common for ice to form on a body of water, such as a lake or a river. These ice-covered bodies of water provide recreational opportunities such as ice skating, ice boat sailing, or snow mobile riding. During the course of the activity, accidents can occur, such as involving a person falling through the ice. While time is of the essence in any water rescue, when a person is submerged in ice cold waters time becomes even more critical due to the possibility of hypothermia.
Many types of buoyant rescue devices have been developed which allow a rescuer to reach a drowning victim who has either fallen through the ice or is unable to swim in open water. For example, certain rescue devices are configured as relatively large sled-like structures having relatively large bottom service areas, such as pontoons, for distributing the weight of the device as well as the weight of the victim and the rescuer over a large supporting area. To support the weight of both the victim and the rescuer, conventional pontoons include foam blocks disposed within a shell. The foam blocks typically limit or prevent the weight of the victim and the rescuer from collapsing the pontoons, thereby causing harm to both parties.